BBQ Pork Brisket Bones (Rib Tips)

Ingredients

• 1 slab pork brisket bones or rib tips (about 2 pounds per slab)
• ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon per pound of meat)
• 4 tablespoons of your favorite rub
• ¼ cup apple juice
• ½ cup Bull’s-Eye or Kraft BBQ sauce

Directions

1. Season the rib tip slabs with Kosher salt. If you can, give the salt 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed (dry brining). Use 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat,
2. Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking. Alternatively, you can set up a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill’s charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 225°F and add 2 to 3 chunks smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor.
3. Once the smoker or grill is ready, season the rib tip slabs with your rub.
4. Place the rib tip slabs on the main cooking grate as far away from the heat source as possible. Set the lid on the grill with the fully opened top vent positioned directly above the slabs in order to force the smoke over and around the meat. Allow the meat to smoke for 2 1/2 hours. If you opt not to wrap the rib tips in the following step, simply allow them to smoke for another 45 minutes. Optional Wrapping Step: Wrap ribs in heavy-duty aluminum foil meat side down in the center of the foil. Fold the sides of the foil up and add 2 tablespoons apple juice to each foil packet before loosely sealing. Place the wrapped ribs on the smoker or grill and cook for another 30 minutes.
5. Remove the foil packets from the smoker or grill and open the foil to allow the steam to escape. Remove the slabs of rib tips from the foil and set them back on the smoker or grill. Cover the smoker or grill, and allow them to cook until the bark has firmed up and the slabs of rib tips are tender, approximately 15 minutes.  When they are ready, the slab will bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface.
6. Remove the slabs of rib tips from the smoker or grill. Using a cleaver or sharp knife, cut the slabs into 1- to 3-inch pieces. Serve with Kraft or Bull’s-Eye’s BBQ sauce.